Growing season is in full swing! Our factory gardener Jayne, shares what jobs and tasks to get up to in your garden, allotment or in whatever little slice of heaven you're growing...
In The Garden
August in the Emma Bridgewater gardens sees pears and apples ripening and the summer planting reaching its fullest. The garden is alive with birds and pollinators reminding us that nature really does know best...to have a pesticide free garden full of nectar rich plants and habitats is mutually beneficial for us and our wildlife.
Jobs for August
August is typically the driest month of the year, so keep on top of watering your plants and try to provide some water for the wildlife. A saucer or two of water around the garden really helps.
Prune Wisteria whips back and any espalier fruit trees to keep their structure open and allow the fruit to ripen.
Regularly dead head/cut repeat flowering plants such as Dahlias, Cosmos, Sweet Peas.
Check your edible plants such as lettuce, spinach, parsley for signs of them going into seed as they often will in hot dry weather. You can cut the plants back but it's also not too late to sow more seeds to replace them.
Looking Ahead: September
I will be picking our pears towards the end of September. They fruit prolifically in the walled garden, so chutney recipes at the ready!
I will also be collecting seeds from annual plants that are coming to the end of their season and sowing biannual seeds for overwintering in the greenhouse. There will still be plenty of beauty in the garden to enjoy in September. The Dahlias will flower on until the frosts and the Miscanthus grasses really come into their own but for now let's enjoy British summertime at its height...happy gardening!
